The present invention relates to a rectifiers, and in particular, to power rectifiers and methods of making same.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Power electronics is associated with the efficient conversion, control and conditioning of electric power. This may include rectifying alternating current (AC) and converting this form of electrical power to direct current (DC). Diodes have been utilized as power rectifiers for many years and have been instrumental in providing power conversion for many of the systems which connect to the common AC power provided in most businesses and homes.
Power rectifiers have been fabricated utilizing semiconductor doping. Some diodes (i.e. rectifiers) are fabricated with the N-type and P-type dopants such as phosphorus and boron, respectively. The region between these types of material forms a P-N junction which intrinsically has a contact potential. In order for the diode to pass current, a nominal biasing voltage needs to overcome the contact potential at the junction. This bias voltage is typically about 600 mV.
For historical power electronics utilizing 12 V and 5 V power supplies and having currents less than 1 A, this voltage drop of 600 mV has not been a problem. However, today's electronic devices may utilize 1.8 V power supplies to power a device. Additionally when high power systems have several amperes of current passing through the rectifiers, the 600 mV drop may result in a significant power loss. This power dissipation may also translate into heat dissipation and temperature concerns for the device.
Thus, there is a need for improved rectifiers. The present invention solves these and other problems by providing power rectifiers and methods for making same.